Thomas is known to be one of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ in the Bible. He was also referred to as Didymus which literally means the 'twin'. He may not be a popular one among the twelve but he earned himself the name 'Doubting Thomas'. The doubting Thomas bible story began when he did not believe that the Lord Jesus Christ had actually risen Gospel of thomas from the dead on the third day after he died.

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Christ appeared before the disciples but during that time, Thomas wasn't with them. When he was told about the appearance, refused to believe and uttered the words: 'Unless I see the nail marked His hands and place my finger on his wounds, and place my hand into his side, I shall not believe". After eight days, the Lord appeared again and this time, Thomas was present, too. Jesus approached him and asked him to place his finger on His wounds. After this, Jesus uttered the words which were mentioned in John 20:26-29.

One of the most powerful lines that people live with is 'blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed'. Such line is a testimony to the power that Christ has to heal those who ache. Being called as Doubting Thomas may sound a little negative. However, Thomas himself had very good qualities. He demonstrated a great deal of loyalty and courage. Thomas showed courage when he expressed willingness to accompany Jesus when He headed to Bethany in order to raise Lazarus from the dead.

The story of Doubting Thomas mirrors many people of today's world. During this time, when life has become increasingly difficult for many, faith has been subjected to many tests. Certainly, Doubting Thomas lives in each and every one on this planet. Sadly, some people wake up from misconceptions and disbelieve while others do not. This story reflects the vulnerability and imperfection of human. Many people wake up every day with suspicions in their hearts. Like Thomas, seeing is regarded as a way of believing.

The truth is, with enormous faith, one can successfully achieve anything and everything. It is likewise written in the Bible, that nothing is impossible with God. This should be a good reminder to each and every modern Doubting Thomas we have. The doubting Thomas bible story is a revelation and manifestation of one truth -that human kind is imperfect then and now and it is only up to one's belief that he can overcome such imperfection.

As we all know, there are many books (or

scrolls) outside the Bible that quote sayings of

Jesus. Many of these are quite close to sayings

recorded in the New Testament, while many others

are not.

The Unknown Sayings of Jesus (Harper San

Francisco, 1998) is such a collection, compiled

by Marvin Meyer, one of the top authorities in the

field and a translator of the Gospel of Thomas.

Note: Because these early writings generally did

not employ capital letters, Dr. Meyer has declined

to introduce them in his translation-but feel

free to do so in your mind as you read these

excerpts.

Many of these sayings are quite intriguing.

For example, "Then my mother the holy spirit

took me by one of my hairs and carried me to the

great mount Tabor." (Gospel of the Hebrews)

Mount Tabor is thought to be the site of the

Transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1-13), and

in Judaism as well as in the later Jewish Kabbalah,

the Holy Spirit is represented as the feminine

Shechinah-the Presence of God.

Another saying from the Gospel of the Hebrews

is both touching and beautiful: "And never

be glad except when you look at your brother with

love."

In a deeply mystical vein, from the Gospel

of Philip, "He said on that day, in the thanksgiving,

'You who have united the perfect light with

the holy spirit, unite the angels also with us, the

images.'" We need to meditate on the meaning

of this one for a while, but I feel it contains a

profound truth.

Another statement from the Gospel of Philip

is close to the version in the Gospel of Thomas.

It reads, "He said, 'I have come to make what is

below like what is above and what is outside like

what is inside, and to unite them in that place.'"

This saying is often interpreted as being similar

in meaning to "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be

done, on earth as it is in heaven," with the additional

thought of making our inner selves and

our public selves more like one another.

The Secret Book of James (brother of Jesus

and leader of the church in Jerusalem) emphasizes

being completely filled with the light

of the spirit, as in "Be filled with the spirit";

"For this reason I say to you, be filled and leave

no space within you empty"; and this parable:

"For heaven's kingdom is like a head of grain

that sprouted in a field. And when it was ripe, it

scattered its seed, and again it filled the field with

heads of grain for another year.

"So also with you, be eager to harvest for

yourselves a head of the grain of life, that you

may be filled with the kingdom."

In the Edgar Cayce readings, there are

many references to universal consciousness. He

described this as the consciousness we have when

we are on the other side, not incarnated in the

world of forms, and which we may enter into in

meditation. The readings encourage us to attune

ourselves to universal consciousness. Compare

this now with yet another saying from the Secret

Book of James: "Again, I admonish you, O you

who exist. Be like those who do not exist, that you

may dwell with those who do not exist."

Two more from the same source warn

against spiritual pride:

"Do not let heaven's kingdom become a

desert within you. Do not be proud because of the

light that enlightens."

And this, my favorite of the sayings from the

collection-because, although it is astonishing,

it is also the most poignant: "I say to you, if I

had been sent to those who would listen to me

and had spoken with them, I would never have

[needed to] come down to earth."